Avena Ross, Queen's National Scholar in Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Ross was born in Manitoba, however, she grew up in New Zealand where she attended the University of Auckland. After Dr. Ross completed her BSc (Hons.) in Chemistry in 2005 she returned to Canada to undertake Doctoral research at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Prof. John C. Vederas FRS. During her degree Dr. Ross investigated antibacterial peptides called lantibiotics, exquisitely potent molecules that are produced by bacteria as a chemical defense. She received her PhD in Chemistry in 2012 and then joined the lab of Prof. Bradley S. Moore at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California at San Diego. At Scripps Dr. Ross has continued to study peptides from bacteria and her work currently focuses on how these complex molecules are biosynthesized in nature. Dr. Ross was supported by NSERC during her PhD studies and is currently an NSERC postdoctoral fellow. In addition to federal fellowships Dr. Ross has received multiple University-based awards including a Doctoral Dissertation award from the University of Alberta. Dr. Ross joins the Department of Chemistry in January 2015 as a Queen’s National Scholar in Chemical Biology.